Stolen inscription discovered in barn

An inscription dating back to the sixth or seventh century that was stolen from Istanbul’s Yoros Castle has been found buried in a barn in the city’s Anatolian-side district of Beykoz.

The inscription in the Yoros Castle was stolen a year ago and recently found in a barn. It is thought to have been from the early Byzantine period [Credit: DHA]

Acting on a tip, the Istanbul Police Department searched a house in Beykoz’s Tokat village. During an excavation in a barn directly next to the house, police officers found the castle’s inscription and subsequently informed the Istanbul Archaeology Museums Directorate.

Suspect in custody

Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News, the head of the Yoros Castle excavations, Professor Asnu Bilban Yalçın, said they were disheartened by the theft but happy to have learned of the inscription’s discovery. “The inscription is a very significant part of the historic castle,” she said.The inscription, which has a cross on it, is thought to have been from the Eastern Roman (ie., early Byzantine) period, according to Anatolia news agency.

The suspect who allegedly buried the inscription in the barn has been taken into custody. Officials said the inscription had been previously stolen and replaced in the castle.

Roman artwork left unattended

Meanwhile, artwork from the Roman and Byzantine periods, including a tomb and pieces of a pillar, have been lost in the port of the Black Sea province of Bartın’s Amasra district, Doğan news agency has reported.

There is much historic artwork among the rubble in the port, drawing concern from citizens. It is thought that the artwork, which have figures and Latin writing on them, were unloaded on the coast together with debris from construction.

A Roman marble pillar with Latin alphabet text was taken under the protection of the Amasra Museum Directorate but another marble pillar with an ox figure on it and sarcophaguses were left on the coast. Officials declined to comment about the artifacts.